Solubilization of C60 using ultrasound and amphiphilic block copolymers in acidic aqueous solutions

Fullerene (C₆₀), the third carbon allotrope, has shown great potential in photoelectric materials and drug delivery. However, the low solubility of C₆₀ in polar solvents, especially in water, is the major limiting factor for further applications. The use of ultrasound and amphiphilic block copolymers, poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PEG-b-P4VP), helped to disperse C₆₀ in acidic aqueous solutions. As characterized by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy, the C₆₀ colloids had a core-shell structure with C₆₀ aggregated in the micellar cores. The photosensitized generation of singlet oxygen using C₆₀-bound polymer micelle was confirmed by the iodide method. More importantly, C₆₀ and metalloporphyrin complexes could be synthesized by the self-assembly between PEG-b-P4VP/C₆₀ micelle and metalloporphyrin. The stability of metalloporphyrin increased in the presence of the PEG-b-P4VP/C₆₀ micelle. This study provides a method for the solubilization of C₆₀ with many potential applications in biomedicals and photovoltaics.     

Energy Band Alignment and Redox-Active Sites in Metalloporphyrin-Spaced Metal-Catechol Frameworks for Enhanced CO2 Photoreduction

Two new chemically stable metalloporphyrin-bridged metal-catechol frameworks, InTCP-Co and FeTCP-Co, were constructed to achieve artificial photosynthesis without additional sacrificial agents and photosensitizers. The CO₂ photoreduction rate over FeTCP-Co considerably exceeds that obtained over InTCP-Co, and the incorporation of uncoordinated hydroxyl groups, associated with catechol, into the network further promotes the photocatalytic activity. The iron-oxo coordination chain assists energy band alignment and provides a redox-active site, and the uncoordinated hydroxyl group contributes to the visible-light absorptance, charge-carrier transfer, and CO₂-scaffold affinity. With a formic acid selectivity of 97.8 %, FeTCP-OH-Co affords CO₂ photoconversion with a reaction rate 4.3 and 15.7 times higher than those of FeTCP- Co and InTCP-Co, respectively. These findings are also consistent with the spectroscopic study and DFT calculation.     

Modulating the Acidic and Basic Site Concentration of Metal-Organic Framework Derivatives to Promote the Carbon Dioxide Epoxidation Reaction

Metal-organic framework (MOF) is an ideal precursor/template for porous carbon, and its active components are uniformly doped, which can be used in energy storage and catalytic conversion fields. Metal-organic framework PCN-224 with carboxylporphyrin as the ligand was synthesized, and then Zn²⁺ and Co²⁺ ions were coordinated in the center of the porphyrin ring by post-modification. Here, PCN-224−ZnCo with different ratios of bimetallic Zn²⁺/Co²⁺ ions were used as the precursor, and the metal-nitrogen-carbon(M−N−C) material of PCN-224−ZnCo-950 was obtained by pyrolyzing the precursor at 950 °C in Ar. Because Zn is easy to volatilize at 950 °C, the formed M−N−C materials can reflect different Co contents and different basic site concentrations. The formed material still maintains the original basic framework. With the increase of Zn²⁺/Co²⁺ ratio in precursor, the concentration of N-containing alkaline sites in pyrolysis products gradually increase. Compared with the precursor, PCN-224−ZnCo₁-950 with Zn²⁺/Co²⁺=1 : 1 has greatly improved basicity and suitable acidic/ alkaline site concentration. It can be efficiently used to carbon dioxide absorption and catalyze the cycloaddition of CO₂ with epoxide. More importantly, the current method of adjusting the acidic/basic sites in M−N−C materials through volatilization of volatile metals can provide an effective strategy for adjusting the catalysis of MOF derivatives with porphyrin structure.     

Self‐assembly of metal–organic framework thin films containing metalloporphyrin and their photocatalytic activity under visible light

With [5,10,15,20‐tetra(4‐carboxyphenyl)porphyrin]Mn(III) and sterically controlled 2,2¢‐dimethyl‐4,4¢‐pyridine as the main raw materials, metal–organic framework thin films containing metalloporphyrin (MnPor‐MOF) with catalytically active sites were built up on functionalized quartz glass surfaces using a layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly method. Retaining active catalytic sites and having a porous reticular structure, the MnPor‐MOF films possessed remarkable photocatalytic activity for oxidative degradation of methylene blue in the presence of hydrogen peroxide under visible‐light irradiation. Most meaningfully, the MnPor‐MOF films were highly stable and simply and conveniently reusable, and are thus a potentially new organic material for photocatalytic wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Crystal structure of meso‐substituted pyrazolyl porphyrin complexes and their highly active catalyst for oxidation of alkylbenzenes

During the past few years, a great deal of effort has been devoted to the anchoring of catalytic oxidation. In this work, three new catalysts CuPp, MnPp and ZnPp by solvothermal methods with 5, 10, 15, 20‐tetrakis(4‐N‐pyrazolyl)‐phenyl porphyrin (H₂Pp) and the corresponding metal salts have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The single crystal structures determined by X‐ray diffraction show the bond distances of M‐N in porphyrin cores determined the conformation of porphyrin rings. We explored the catalytic activity of CoPp, CuPp, MnPp and ZnPp for oxidation of alkylbenzenes. The experimental results display these products exhibit high catalytic activities and selectivities for oxidation of ethylbenzene to acetophenone, and can be reused by filtration without appreciable decrease in catalytic activity and selectivity.     

Structural explanation of the spectral features of the nonsymmetrical complex {2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18‐octaethyl‐5‐[(methylimino)methyl]porphyrinato‐κ4N21,N22,N23,N24}palladium(II)

The features of porphyrins defining their functionality are related to their conformational flexibility. The degree of nonplanarity of metalloporphyrins depends directly on the number of substituents, their size and their location. The introduction of substituents in the meso positions of β‐substituted porphyrins increases the steric interaction and leads to distortions of the porphyrin core. Increasing the distortion of the porphyrin core would augment the bathochromic (red) shift of the electronic absorption spectra. A new nonsymmetrical 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18‐octaethyl‐5‐[(methylimino)methyl]porphyrin complex of palladium(II), [Pd(C₃₈H₄₇N₅)], was synthesized and characterized by NMR, mass spectrometry and X‐ray analysis. The features of the electronic absorption spectrum of the synthesized complex are explained by the planarity of the porphyrin core and the π‐system of the imino group orthogonal to it.     

One- and two-photon absorption properties of two metalloporphyrin complexes

The linear and nonlinear optical properties of two metalloporphyrin complexes formed by the complementary coordination of central zinc or magnesium ions to the ligand 5, 10, 15-tri-(p-tolyl)-20-phenylethynylporphyrin are theoretically investigated by using the analytic response theory at the density functional theory level. The results indicate that the studied complexes present more symmetric geometry structures than the ligand. The charge-transfer states of the two complexes in the lower energy region are all almost degenerate but those of the ligand are well separated. The ratio of the two-photon absorption cross sections of the ligand, zinc-porphyrin and magnesium-porphyrin complexes is 1.0:1.5:1.8, demonstrating that the two-photon absorption capability can be greatly increased when the ligand is coordinated with a metal ion. Moreover, several physical micro-mechanisms including electron transitions and intramolecular charge-transfer processes are discussed to explore the differences in optical property between the ligand and two complexes.     

金属卟啉配合物在无机层状框架中的插入组装及光学性能

利用插入化学法,将金属卟啉配合物——四苯基卟啉合银(Ⅱ),组装到改性磷酸锆(十二烷基三甲基铵磷酸锆)无机层状物中.配合物与改性磷酸锆作用后,层状框架的层间距由3.00nm调整到1.96 nm,卟啉的Soret吸收带和发射光谱都出现明显的位移,其中最大吸收由421 nm红移到429 nm,最大发射由651 nm红移到65...     

Oxygen‐sensing properties of 5,10,15,20‐tetraphenylporphinato platinum(II) and palladium(II) covalently bound on poly(isobutyl‐co‐2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl methacrylate)

A novel methacrylate monomer bearing 5,10,15,20‐tetraphenylporphyrinato palladium(II) (PdTPP) (monomer 1a ) was synthesized and copolymerized with isobutyl methacrylate (IBM) and 2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFEM) to give poly (IBM‐co‐TFEM) bearing PdTPP (copolymer 2a ) as a dye‐conjugated oxygen‐permeable polymer for pressure‐sensitive paint applications. The introduction of PdTPP into copolymer 2a was confirmed by UV–vis spectroscopy and extended X‐ray absorption fine structure analysis. The Stern–Volmer plots of the copolymer 2a and a mixture of PdTPP and poly(IBM‐co‐TFEM) both showed downward curvature, unlike that of the platinum complex analogue (copolymer 2b ) previously reported. The plots were successfully fitted with a two‐site model to give two distinct Stern–Volmer constants (K_SV1 and K_SV2) and the partition ratio f₁. Interestingly, the f₁ values for the copolymer 2a were almost constant at about 0.98, whereas those of the mixture of PdTPP and poly(IBM‐co‐TFEM) increased from 0.889 to 0.967 as the temperature was increased. This finding suggests that there are two distinct microheterogeneities, one temperature‐dependent and the other temperature‐independent, in the mixture of PdTPP and poly(IBM‐co‐TFEM). The dye‐conjugation approach effectively eliminates the temperature‐dependent, but not the temperature‐independent microheterogeneity. The luminescence decays of copolymers 2a and 2b and the corresponding mixtures in the absence of oxygen indicated that the temperature‐dependent microheterogeneity involves an oxygen diffusion process, whereas the temperature‐independent one appears to be inherent nature in PdTPP. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 663–670, 2010     

Synchronously synthesizing and immobilizing porphyrins on crosslinked polystyrene microspheres and preliminary study on catalytic activity of supported metalloporphyrins

A novel method for immobilizing porphyrins as well as metalloporphyrins (MPs) on polymeric supports was found, and it is the way to synchronously synthesize and immobilize porphyrins on polymeric microspheres. By using 4‐hydroxybenzaldehyde (HBA)‐bound crosslinked polystyrene (CPS) microspheres, pyrrole, and benzaldehyde in a solution as co‐reactants and through the Adler's reaction between solid–liquid phases, it was successfully realized to simultaneously synthesize and immobilize phenyl porphyrin (PP) on CPS microspheres, resulting in PP‐supported microspheres PP–CPS. With the same method, substituted PPs, 4‐chlorophenyl porphyrin (CPP) and 4‐nitrophenyl porphyrin (NPP), were also successfully immobilized on CPS microspheres by using substituted benzaldehydes, 4‐chlorobenzaldehyde and 4‐nitrobenzaldehyde, as one reactant in the solution, respectively, and other two porphyrin‐supported microspheres, CPP–CPS and NPP–CPS, were obtained. The effects of various factors on the process of synchronously synthesizing and immobilizing porphyrins on CPS microspheres were mainly studied. Further, the coordination reaction of cobalt salt with PP–CPS as well as CPP–CPS and NPP–CPS was conducted, forming three solid catalysts, CoPP–CPS, CoCPP–CPS, and CoNPP–CPS. The catalytic properties of these catalysts in the catalytic oxidation of ethylbenzene to acetophenone by dioxygen were preliminarily examined. The experimental results indicate that the Adler's reaction between solid–liquid phases, namely the reaction between HBA‐bound CPS microspheres and pyrrole as well as free benzaldehyde or analogs in the solution can favorably be carried out. For this process, the fitting protonic acid catalyst is p‐nitrobenzoic acid and appropriate solvent is dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). By comparison, the process of preparing CPP–CPS microspheres is easier to be carried out. The obtained three solid catalysts can effectively catalyze the oxidation of ethylbenzene to acetophenone by dioxygen. In comparison, the catalytic activity of CoNPP–CPS is the highest. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.